Brian Keeley, LTD

If you have been injured in a car accident neither the other driver nor their insurance company cares about you or your family. It’s an inconvenience for the other driver, and their insurance company is trying to figure out how to pay the least amount of money that they can get away with paying to you.

Insurance companies exist to make money for their shareholders. If you’re not one of their shareholders or insureds they don’t care about you. That’s a painful fact that good people often learn too late; because in the end, they will give you the least amount of money that they can.

Insurance companies have an army of attorneys, investigators and experts who are paid to make sure you get nothing or as close to nothing as possible.

You need an aggressive and knowledgeable attorney to represent you in order to get you the compensation you deserve. As your attorney I will fight for you. I have represented thousands of people over my 30 year career and have obtained millions of dollars of recoveries for my clients. You need someone that is not afraid to take on the insurance companies because that is what you deserve. You need someone who knows how the insurance companies operate and how to beat them so that you get what you are entitled to receive for your injuries.

Personal injury attorneys should be working on a contingency fee basis which means that they don’t get paid unless they get you a recovery for you and they should also tell you up front what to expect about the whole process.

If your case goes into litigation, I will be there every step of the way representing you, advising you and preparing you for whatever needs to be done. I always make sure that my clients have all of the information that they need to make an informed decision about their claim. If you need to know what is going on with your claim you can call me, email me or come into my office and speak with me at anytime. I’m here for you and I’m in your area. You don’t have to drive to downtown Chicago to meet with me.

I have lived in Bolingbrook since 1996 and had offices in Bolingbrook since 2000. If you live in Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Naperville, Woodridge, Lemont, Plainfield, Joliet or Crest Hill, or any other nearby city, my office is easy to find at 440 W. Boughton Road in Bolingbrook. While most of my cases are in Will, Dupage or Cook County, I can help my clients who have claims in other States or countries through my membership in the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

If you have been involved in a collision here are some tips that will help you to deal with the situation at the scene of the collision:

1. A motor vehicle collision can be a traumatic event as most people don’t have much time to prepare themselves for an impact. As a result, you might be in a momentary state of shock. Immediately after an impact make sure your vehicle has come to a complete stop. Then, take a few deep breaths so you don’t hyperventilate. Once you have control of your senses, check yourself to make sure you are ok. Check your vehicle to make sure it is not on fire. If your air bags have deployed you may have some smoke from the air bags so don’t panic. It only means that the air bags have deployed. After they have deflated check yourself and your vehicle.
2. If you know or feel like you are injured (and your vehicle is not on fire), stay in your vehicle and call 911. Tell the 911 operator that you think you might be injured. If someone comes up to your vehicle and asks if you are ok, tell them you don’t know and you are waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Don’t move your vehicle until you are directed by a police officer to move it. If you are on an interstate and there is an “accident area” you will have to move it to that area or to the shoulder if your vehicle is operable.
3. If you can’t tell if you have suffered any injury, you can get out of your vehicle if it is safe to do so and take pictures of the scene and the damage to the vehicles involved in the collision. Outside of exchanging insurance information with the other driver(s) you should then get back into your vehicle.
4. When a police officer comes to the scene you should always be polite to the responding officer and give a detailed description of what happened to the officer. Remember, anything that you say to the officer is probably going to end up on the police report (even if it is a condensed version of what you said to the officer).
5. If paramedics arrive at the scene, they will ask you questions about how you were hurt. As I indicated earlier most people are in some degree of shock at the scene of a collision and frequently don’t understand what is being asked of them. If the paramedics ask you if you struck some part of your body or head on the inside of the vehicle you should always answer yes. You aren’t going to recall exactly what happened because it all happens so fast. The vast majority of people strike the back of their head or back on the headrest or seat back and don’t even realize it because it happens to fast. You should also think about any question that the paramedics ask about your condition and not give a quick yes or no answer. If your injuries are severe enough the paramedics will ask you, or maybe even make the decision to transport you to a nearby hospital.
6. If you are transported to a hospital and you are able to do so, make sure that you give your group health insurance card to the intake person. It is always best to use your group health insurance first in any motor vehicle collision. Don’t think that the other person’s insurance company is going to pay for all of your bills.
7. At the hospital make sure you give an accurate statement as to how the collision occurred and what parts of your body struck the inside of your vehicle.
8. After the collision you should not speak to anyone other than your own insurance company.
9. Contact an attorney if you believe you have been injured.”